Things to know before Auburn
October 14, 2015
By Katherine Stach and Anthony Crawford
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UK Football will take on the Auburn Tigers at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Commonwealth Stadium. The game will be the university’s first Thursday game since their Thanksgiving matchup against Tennessee in 1939.
UK
The UK Football team released a new depth chart on Wednesday that stated Stanley ‘Boom’ Williams as the starting running back. Williams will be returning to the field after not playing against EKU in the Wildcats last game because of a personal issue. This is a good sign for UK as Williams dynamic running game can be a huge difference maker.
Other developments include defensive linemen Reggie Meant making a reappearance on the depth chart as a co-starter with Cory Johnson. Meant suffered a shoulder injury against Florida that prevented him from playing against both Missouri and EKU. Johnson was able to step up in Meant’s absence registering 36 tackles over that three week span topped off by 19 in the game against EKU.
This game is a great opportunity for UK to make waves in the SEC. A win against a deflated Auburn team can put UK in contention for the SEC East title and a trip to Atlanta.
Auburn
The Tigers come into this matchup as a team that has largely struggled to live up to its preseason expectations. Auburn started the year ranked within the top ten but near losses to Jacksonville and San Jose State have earned them an exit from the all the major polls. The let-down of a season can be attributed mainly to poor play at the quarterback position. Junior Jeremy Johnson came into the season with many analyst expecting him to make First Team All-SEC. The quarterback has yet to even come close to those expectation. As of now in the season, Johnson has thrown more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5) and his play has created a void at that position and it unsure who will fill it. Gus Malzahn has yet to name the starting quarterback for the game, but plans to before Thursday.
Parking
The Thursday night game will have a widespread effect on campus parking. More than 3,000 UK students will be forced to move their cars from the K-Lot at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday. Alternative parking for the misplaced cars will be provided at the Whitaker Bank Ballpark on the north side of town. By 8 p.m. Wednesday night, RVs will be permitted to park in preparation for Thursday’s game.
Starting at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, UK HealthCare employees will be required to find spaces at Rupp Arena and take shuttles to work. Employees from other parts of campus, such as the agriculture school, will have to find satellite parking at churches on Tates Creek road later that morning. At 8 a.m. Thursday morning, those with gamely parking permits will be able to set up their tailgates on campus.
The parking inconveniences and increase in traffic flow will make it difficult for students living off-campus to attend class on Thursday, and while some professors have felt remorseful and canceled class in preparation, others have not.
